Essay History of Photography

Submitted By oreyes3
Words: 1387
Pages: 6

Photography has changed the world dramatically, by the use of being able to document important iconic events and figures. We’ve all heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This is especially true when we come to find out how important and useful the photograph is to our modern day people. The word, "Photograph" as we know it, was first used in 1839 by Sir John Herschel. In the same year he published the entire photographic process. The word is derived from the Greek words photo meaning “light” and graph “writing”. Therefore, it is said that photography is the art of painting with light.
Several decades ago, De la Roche, following his analysis, made a startling prediction in his literary works, where it was possible to capture images of nature on a canvas covered with a sticky substance, providing a mirror image. This image would be permanent after it dried in the dark. De la Roche could not imagine this story would become true several years later.
Two Frenchmen Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre are considered the true discoverers of photography. Developing the first techniques and chemical processes which have allowed pictures to be recorded. Then came decades of continuous technical development. With the introduction of the first Kodak camera in 1889 it reached to develop a stand that could hold up substantially today. Only after an electronic revolution, when digitization brought forth new photographic techniques. The Frenchman Joseph Niece Nicéphore (1765-1833) is regarded as one who was able to capture images as the first in a photosensitive layer. He took a "camera obscura", [a long-known apparatus; the images could be projected onto the outside surfaces.] and managed to capture these images on silver chloride paper. However, they were not resistant to light and faded after a short time.
In 1826 Niepce managed to produce the first permanent image or photograph [the view from the window of his study.] But, with exposure times limited to about eight hours, it was impossible to photograph people or moving objects.
Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (1787-1851), a successful theater artist learned of Niepce's work and became fascinated that he became his partner, trying to find a way to shorten the exposure time. Louis Daguerre, a pioneer of photography after years of trying Daguerre discovered that even with a short exposure, silver plates created a latent (invisible) image that can be fixed by vapor deposition of mercury. Louis Daguerre exposed a photographic plate, and then stopped the process but because the weather did not play along, he put the plate in his chemical cupboard. When he later got out, he discovered that it turned to a picture. He removed piece by piece all the chemicals out of the closet and put more into a fresh photo drive to find out what has caused the chemicals to take that effect. At the end there were only a few drops of mercury left. This, was understood Daguerre, the riddle. Treated with mercury vapors photographic plates require shorter exposure times than untreated. He succeeded on numerous attempts, the exposure time of four minutes in summer and 15 minutes to reduce the winter. Daguerre and Isidore Niepce, the son of the late pioneer completed in 1839 a treaty with the French government, which thereby obtained the right to use the so-called "daguerreotypes" of the public present. The Government considered the discovery of such importance that it is satisfied that promised a boost in popularity. Pictures taken with the "Daguerreotype", however, unique. This problem eliminated William Henry Fox Talbot to the so-called "calotype," a paper-negative-positive process. Quality and brilliance were not indeed to be compared with the "Daguerreotype", but it was possible to make multiple copies of an image. This drawing shows a plate camera from 1866, stands next to a photographer. The amazing thing is the size comparison; the camera including the tripod is almost twice as large